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A few reviews

dangermouse

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A vinyl shop opened in our town 2 years ago. I thought it would fail out of the gate. It's still here, and it's expanded into the neighbouring shop!!
 

Vultural

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A lot of Millenniels are buying vinyl now.
Not sure why, perhaps a "cool" factor, since it's not like most grew up with wax or gatefolds.
We have one shop in our burg and it strolls along. Other than that, electronic stores and a big box marts carry CDs.
Big book stores, and giant record shops (like where I worked) are all RIP.
Even when I worked at the big store - and we really had a huge shopping space - I still hit a few indie shops.
The owner knew I ran the backroom of the bear, but he also knew I bought Laserdiscs and specific out of print titles.
His tiny shop, Sounds At Last, was similar in size and feel to the doc, Sound It Out.
It was also usually kinda dead, traffic wise, and that can be spirit numbing.
The owner died about two years after we closed and his shop folded. Otherwise, I'd probably still be buying an LP or two each month.

The vinyl I see now is mostly at thrift shops, and it tells a tale of who is dying.
Used to be I'd see Sinatra, Dino, big band stuff, Robert Goulet.
Now I'm seeing Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and other 50s artists.
Figure all those folks who bought those artists when they were young are now dropping.
Boomers probably lined up for the Reaper's cut out bin.
 

Vultural

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Candlestick - 2014 - 5/10

Curious, stagebound mystery.
Seriously, this is like watching an Off-Broadway or fringe London theatrical production.
Normally, I might have foolishly paid $30.00 or £20.00 to sit through this.
Loaded conversation, drinking, and gamesmanship one evening at Jack’s flat.
Action occurs on one set, or, for one scene, outside on the street.
Lines are mannered, direct from drama school.
In homage to the game Clue, the ominous candlestick arrives on the coffee table.
100% of the audience can foretell someone will get a headache sooner or later.

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Oddities include - three principals wear the same shade of maroon (shirt - dress - tie).
Music, what scant amount there is, copies Bernard Hermann.
Unless Jack spins a record, in which case he plays a 78 (yes, a 78 rpm vinyl!).
Jack’s phones (two of ‘em for one flat) are both landline, rotary dial.  Other characters use cellphones.
Dialogue is neither witty nor clever.
 

Vultural

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The Joy Of The Single - When Albums Ruled The World - Sound City

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Three recent documentaries about music.
First focuses on the single, usually the wax 45.
Mostly white geezers and burnouts warbling their memories, displaying collections and jukeboxes.
Gradually 7 inchers lost influence as LPs gained prominence.
Second doc is about albums, specifically concept albums.
Dylan, Pepper, Yes, Floyd - you know the terrain.

Third doc covers Sound City Studio, famed recording venue of the 70s and 90s.
Analogue studio. Gone now, replaced by digital, Pro Tools, etc ...

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All docs were enjoyable.
Third one wandered near the end, slipping from the heyday of the 70s to Dave Grohl's attempt to recreate the era.
 

thecuddlyninja

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Deadpool - 2016 - 8/10

This is the movie I've been waiting for since I was 16 (almost two decades). Humor trends juvenile but in a great way. Best thing I can say is that if you don't appreciate creative cursing (e.g. shit-spackled muppet fart) then this isn't for you. If you do, then this is for you very much. I've been really surprised to hear how many of my friends are excited for this. I suppose those not interested in comic book movies are curious to see a fucked up R-Rated one.

Ryan Reynolds was born for this role. This is the one I can point to when people judge for liking comic books because they think it's all good vs evil palatable mush. This is not that. I suppose since most haven't read the comics it's worth noting that if you don't like breaking the fourth wall and meta jokes, you'll hate this. For me, brought a great comic to life practically straight off the page.

Can't wait for the sequel. Also, perhaps the most accurate opening credits EVER.
 

TV's Frink

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thecuddlyninja said:
Deadpool - 2016 - 8/10

Sorry but you aren't allowed to rate anything above 7/10 in this thread, even if you enjoyed it.
 

ThrowgnCpr

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Vultural said:
A lot of Millenniels are buying vinyl now.
Not sure why, perhaps a "cool" factor, since it's not like most grew up with wax or gatefolds.
We have one shop in our burg and it strolls along. Other than that, electronic stores and a big box marts carry CDs.
Big book stores, and giant record shops (like where I worked) are all RIP.
Even when I worked at the big store - and we really had a huge shopping space - I still hit a few indie shops.
The owner knew I ran the backroom of the bear, but he also knew I bought Laserdiscs and specific out of print titles.
His tiny shop, Sounds At Last, was similar in size and feel to the doc, Sound It Out.
It was also usually kinda dead, traffic wise, and that can be spirit numbing.
The owner died about two years after we closed and his shop folded. Otherwise, I'd probably still be buying an LP or two each month.

The vinyl I see now is mostly at thrift shops, and it tells a tale of who is dying.
Used to be I'd see Sinatra, Dino, big band stuff, Robert Goulet.
Now I'm seeing Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and other 50s artists.
Figure all those folks who bought those artists when they were young are now dropping.
Boomers probably lined up for the Reaper's cut out bin.


There certainly is a millennial and hipster factor to the small but significant increase in vinyl sales (especially with all those stupid color variants), but it isn't just that. I think it depends on where you live. In my city, I have 5 independent record stores within 2 miles from my house, and a few others sprinkled around the city. The music scene is lively here. I collect records, but I also grew up with vinyl. There was a period in the early 2000s when I only bought CDs because I was traveling so much, but I pretty much exclusively buy music on vinyl now. I really hate digital-only releases, and only purchase digitally when there is a release I really want but has no physical format. There is something important, in my opinion, to physically interacting with the music.
 

TM2YC

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I think the vinyl resurgence is down to the fact that people who are serious about music, will always want a nice tactile physical format for the home, yet will always want the convenience of a portable format when out and about. CDs don't satisy either of those two factors very well. Vinyl and a quick download do. Plus a lot of people probably now listen via MP3 while looking at and reading the sleeves of the vinyl format.
 

ThrowgnCpr

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TM2YC said:
I think the vinyl resurgence is down to the fact that people who are serious about music, will always want a nice tactile physical format for the home, yet will always want the convenience of a portable format when out and about. CDs don't satisy either of those two factors very well. Vinyl and a quick download do. Plus a lot of people probably now listen via MP3 while looking at and reading the sleeves of the vinyl format.

^ a lot of this. Most new vinyl releases come with download codes for MP3/FLAC. This gives music loves the ability to enjoy the full format, analog goodness of vinyl at home, and the convenience of MP3 on the go.
 

Vultural

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thecuddlyninja said:
Deadpool - 2016 - 8/10

This is the movie I've been waiting for since I was 16 (almost two decades). Humor trends juvenile but in a great way. Best thing I can say is that if you don't appreciate creative cursing (e.g. shit-spackled muppet fart) then this isn't for you. If you do, then this is for you very much. I've been really surprised to hear how many of my friends are excited for this. I suppose those not interested in comic book movies are curious to see a fucked up R-Rated one...

Thank you for commenting on that.
I have a friend who had sent me clips and trailers.
He has teenage sons, however, and their youthful exuberance often affects him.
I'll tuck the title away and wait for it.
 

Vultural

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The Pervert’s Guide To Cinema - 2006 - 6/10

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Slovenian philosopher, psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek gives three lectures which orbit Film Appreciation 101.
Freudian analysis, obsessions, death, desire, phallus / vagina (fear - envy - worship), all probed.
Scenes from a diverse array of films are shown, followed by comments.
Žižek frequently inserts himself into scenes, exaggerating or undercutting concepts of reality or suspension of disbelief.
Mainstream studio fare as well as European arthouse used as examples:
Hitchcock - Lynch - Chaplin - Wachowski - Kubrick - Coppola
Tarkovsky - Haneke - Von Trier - Kieślowski - Eisenstein - Bergman
Observations and conclusions are, by turn, insightful, provocative, wrong-headed.
Those with a healthy resume of arthouse titles in their “seen that” list may be better able to agree with some of his theories, or hurl a sock at the screen.
For novices or aficionados, Žižek is entertaining and enthusiastic throughout.
 

Vultural

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Picking Up The Pieces - 2000 - 6/10

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Murder and dismemberment open up this black comedy that shifts gears into religious satire.
Woody Allen plays Tex, a kosher butcher living in Texas.
Sharon Stone is Candy, his trampalicious wife. She won’t stay buried. Well, her hand won’t stay buried.
In due time it is revered as a sacred relic. - - Swear, I ain’t making this up.
Cheech Marin, Kiefer Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Lou Diamond Philips, Eddie Griffin bolster a big cast in this terrible nonsense.
Several scenes filmed in a trailer park.
Music by Flaco Jimenez.
Be advised, this is NOT a Woody Allen script.
 

Vultural

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The Wrecking Crew - 2008/2015 - 7/10

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Documentary of famed studio musicians who played on countless hits from mid 60s to mid 70s.
These were the go-to guys for Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Sinatra, John Philips, many, many others.
Denny Tedesco (son of guitarist Ted Tedesco) started filming in the 90s and it took almost 20 years to finish.
Tons of still photographs, tunes, and talking heads. Faces included Dick Clark and Frank Zappa, both RIP.
Apparently much of the delay involved music clearances.

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Must watch for Boomers and rock snobs.
Couple of serious quibbles cannot be overlooked.
One, little mention of troubles, drugs, other difficulties The feel-good sheen is suffocating at times.
Two, chronology bounced. Story opened with Brian Wilson and classic Beach Boys recordings.
Aloud, I’m saying, “Where’s Phil Spector? They worked for him first. Brian was in the Wrecking Crew.”
Spector was covered, but he came later in the doc. The early history of the group itself came after that.
Three - and this comes from Wikipedia:
The "Wrecking Crew" name is strongly disputed by Carol Kaye, who has stated in interviews, "We were never known as that. Sometimes we were called the Clique, but that's a Hal Blaine invented name for his own self promotion in 1990, and most of us are really, really angry about that film, too." Research by Songfacts concurs, noting "We couldn't find any references to "The Wrecking Crew" in any publications from the era.
I enjoyed this, though I enjoyed it with a wary grain of salt.
 

Vultural

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I Am - 2012 - 5/10

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Master director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty, Patch Adams, Evan Almighty) had a bicycle accident, suffered chronic pain. As he healed, he started thinking, wondering what was wrong with us - mankind - as a species.
I Am is his feel good, naval gazing documentary. A variety of modern philosophers and leaders contribute their thoughts.
The usual: Materialism leads nowhere. Cooperation is salvation, not competition. Love is all you need.
Bubble thinking.
All well and good when everyone shares limited hopes, the sheerest of dreams.
Neither Shadyac nor his pundits address the millions of impoverished souls who might want a better home, more water, nutritious diet. Not one mentioned spiraling population growth as a root factor, along with the degradation of resources.
Virtually everyone interviewed did so from a nicely air-conditioned or heated dwelling. All were well fed, well dressed, well educated.
I Am currently enjoys high marks on review sites. I suspect they believe we are capable of greatness.
 

Vultural

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The Invaders - S01 - 1967 - 7/10

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Have not viewed this influential series for a couple decades.  Rewatching brought back memories.
The show boasts a gorgeous, “wet colour" look, over-saturated, but typical of Quinn Martin productions.  Dominic Frontiere provides an evocative credits theme and numerous music cues.
Architect David Vincent squares off against extra-terrestrial planet grabbers.
Mr Vincent wins stray battles here and there, but the potential outcome seems ominously one-sided.
Roy Thinnes plays lead (at least producers made him an architect, rather than a writer) who gets nowhere trying to convince officials and military brass he’s not some arm waving Sasquatch alarmist.
Special effects were barely more than mattes, models and dissolves, and there is no arc to the story (those were rare in 1967).  Dave hurries from point to point, thwarting one alien strategem after another.

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My brother and I were wild about this when it aired, and we thought it almost equal to The Outer Limits.
Almost.  Not quite, though.
Midway, we started having problems with both alien intelligence, as well with our red-blooded hero.
The aliens had some damn good tactics:  weather disruption, mind control, contagion . . . except they kept launching attacks one at a time.  Giving their pesky architect nemesis just enough time to zoom in and foil them - - again.
C’mon, they mastered interstellar travel.  They could have figured out what flight he was on and zapped his airliner.
End of story.

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Another plus for Team Alien.  Sex appeal.  They had hotties.  Suzanne Pleshette and BarBara Luna (sic).
Is Vincent interested?  Heck, no.  (In a rival show airing in ‘67, Kirk would not have hesitated an instant, no sir.)
Another thing, and this is really big, where did ole Dave get his money?
Sure, he was an architect and drummed up business occasionally.  Yet enough for flights, car rentals, motel rooms, nice clothes, blue plate dinners, and the infrequent date with a big-haired blonde (strict earthling variety)?
Things cost money - plenty of money.  My brother and I had paper routes, so we grasped the concept of budgets.
Anyway, my brother, eight years old, figured it out one episode.

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A pair of Alien agents are chasing Dave all over West Virginia in their big Ford.
Dave eventually gets the drop on them and crisps ‘em both.  Another victory for architecture.  End of Part IV.
Then, during the Epilog, my brother points and hollers,  “Hey!  He’s driving their car!”
Sure enough.  Dave is rolling easy in the aliens blue Ford.
“I bet he stole their car,”  my brother continued.  “I bet he emptied the trunk, searched the glove compartment.”
Oh?
“Yeah, he took all their money!  Probably found their motel room and swiped their watches, money stash, custom suits.  He stole everything!  We won’t see it, but he’s gonna sell that Ford, too.  Once he kills them, I bet he drives all their Fords to the Used Car lot.  That’s how Vincent does this week after week.  He’s a thief!  Like a grave robber!”
Pretty hard to argue with his theory, I must say.

The Invaders has not dated too much - depends on ones tolerance for the sometimes leisurely pace, I guess.  I might even get to season two eventually, say in two or three years.
 

bionicbob

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I think we might have discussed this before, but have you ever watched the sequel mini-series with Scott Bakula?

 

Vultural

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bionicbob said:
I think we might have discussed this before, but have you ever watched the sequel mini-series with Scott Bakula?

Sucked balls, man.
Lost me with the squawking brat.
In US genre movies and TV, children do little more than squeal and get adults killed trying to save them.
Just once, when a monster is chasing a bunch of meals, I'd like to see someone pitch an annoying kid at the hungry beast.

Also - SPOILER !! -
The '95 Invaders can bleed and breed (with earthlings).
Show coulda and shoulda gone hogwild with that "bait n mate" colonization notion.
But nooooooo.

What is especially exasperating about the 95 Invaders is that X-Files came out on the same network (FOX) in 1993.
Producers knew a template that worked.
Written by Cohen who wrote a chunk of the original 67 series, but turned into hack (Maniac Cop, Wicked Stepmother, et al).
Directed by Shapiro. Got Bakula, Thomas, forget who else in the cast. B-team across the board.
Remake had a serious lack of imagination, has sorry scores, bad reviews, and deserves those.

BBob, did you truly like the remake?
 

Vultural

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Building Jerusalem - 2015 - 6/10

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Static documentary about the lead up to the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Rugby - not Football (Soccer for Americans) - but the more rough n tumble Rugby.
2003 was the year England fielded a strong, albeit aging, lineup and it was their best chance to advance in the tournament against the dominant clubs in the Southern hemisphere.
The film seems for the more knowledgeable. The game is not explained, scoring is a mystery, and one sees training though not strategy.
Enjoyable as a curiosity, true fans may appreciate more.
 

Vultural

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Cobain: Montage of Heck - 2015 - 5/10

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Quirky bio-pic of happy-go-lucky --- oops, wait a minute!

"Authorized documentary" of the troubled musician.
Primarily told from talking heads, with little challenging or fact-checking.
At two plus hours, this goes on way too long and is heavily padded with animated doodles.
Kurt'€™s ma and Kurt'€™s wife are each glossy, and each defend and excuse themselves.
Kurt'€™s wife repeatedly assures that she never cheated on Kurt.
Who is not here - Grohl, Vig, any honcho from Geffen or UNI, fellow grunge band members, the word "grunge," Seattle.

"€œHistory is written by the victors"
 

ThrowgnCpr

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Vultural said:
At two plus hours, this goes on way too long and is heavily padded with animated doodles.

I rather enjoyed this film. I think the doodles were a great addition, and it sometimes felt like a look at his journals.
 
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